So we’ve had actress hate and actor hate and actress love… so obviously actor love had to follow. These are the actors who I always seek out.

Michael Fassbender
Where is the love: He’s not afraid to play absolutely reprehensible human beings and he throws himself into every role with such relish.
Best role: Edwin Epps in 12 Years a Slave (2013)
The one even he couldn’t convince me to see: The Counsellor (2013)
“What I find really interesting is to try and mix it up, to push myself and try different things. I don’t want to stay in my comfort zone. I want to take risks and keep myself scared.”

Emile Hirsch
Where is the love: I think he’s completely underrated. He’s had some amazing roles and I’ve loved everything I’ve seen him do.
Best role: Chris McCandless in Into the Wild (2007)
The one even he couldn’t get me to see: Speed Racer (2008)
“Maybe you will be afraid and maybe you will fail, but the courage to take risks in any part of your life is, I feel, a very worthwhile way to live.”

Vincent Cassel
Where is the love: He’s such a versatile bad guy. I think Vince has played characters from just about every country in Europe.
Best role: Vinz in La Haine (1995)
The one even he couldn’t get me to see: Joan of Arc (1999)
“My father is best known for his light comedies, and I’m best known for crazy bad guys with short tempers.”

Tom Hardy
Where is the love: He is such a chameleon. You never feel like you are watching Tom Hardy because he disappears so effortlessly into his character
Best role: Ivan Locke in Locke (2013)
The one even he couldn’t save: This Means War (2012)
“My father came from an intellectual and studious avenue as opposed to a brawler’s avenue. So I had to go further afield and I brought all kinds of unscrupulous oiks back home – earless, toothless vagabonds – to teach me the arts of the old bagarre.”

Tom Hiddleston
Where is the love: Not only is he an amazing actor and obscenely smart and erudite, he’s also ginger. Nothing is better than ginger.
Best role: Loki in Thor (2011), Avengers Assemble (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013)
The one even he couldn’t make me see: War Horse (2011)
“Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of kings – stories that taught us of the danger of hubris and the primacy of humility.”

Patrick Stewart
Where is the love: Um… he’s Captain Picard and Professor X and he’s a total silver fox and he wins at social media. What isn’t there to love?
Best role: Professor X in X-Men (2000), X-Men 2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006),, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The one even he couldn’t make me see: Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
“Having played many roles of scientific intellect I do have an empathy for that world. It’s been hard on me because flying the Enterprise for seven years in Star Trek and sitting in Cerebro in X-men has led people to believe that I know what I’m talking about. But I’m still trying to work out how to operate the air conditioning unit on my car.”

Will Ferrell
Where is the love: I know I’m going to get stick for this but most of the time I think Will Ferrell is absolutely hilarious. Sorry everyone who hates him.
Best role: Ron Burgundy in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and Anchorman: The Legend Continues (2013)
The one even he couldn’t make me see: Casa de mi Padre (2012)
“I have only been funny about seventy four per cent of the time. Yes I think that is right. Seventy-four per cent of the time.”

Leonardo DiCaprio
Where is the love: His career speaks for itself. The fact that he hasn’t won an Oscar is a travesty.
Best role: Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
The one that even he couldn’t make me see: J. Edgar (2011)
“The best thing about acting is that I get to lose myself in another character and actually get paid for it… It’s a great outlet. I’m not really sure who I am – it seems I change every day.”

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Where is the love: I hate romcoms… except when JGL is in them
Best role: Tom in 500 Days of Summer (2009)
The one even he couldn’t make me see: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
“Storytelling in general is a communal act. Throughout human history, people would gather around, whether by the fire or at a tavern, and tell stories. One person would chime in, then another, maybe someone would repeat a story they heard already but with a different spin. It’s a collective process.”

 Mads Mikkelsen
Where is the love: He is captivating to watch and brings incredible intensity to every role he plays
Best role: Lukas in The Hunt (2012)
The one even he couldn’t make me see: Valhalla Rising (2009)
“Sometimes we misunderstand what films can do. We just throw a whole book in there, with people just talking, talking, and talking. The picture can tell, the frame can tell.”

Honourable mention – gone but not forgotten

Heath Ledger
Where is the love: He was just always wonderful… in everything and he never failed to deny expectations.
Best role: Ennis Delmar in Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The one even he couldn’t make me see: Ned Kelly (2003)
“I don’t feel like I have anything to lose, so I don’t really understand what I’m putting at risk.”